Sewing needle with eye having entrance slot



0a. 21, 1969 c. R. LINDQUST 3,473,710

' SEWING NEEDLE WITH EYE HAVING ENTRANCE SLOT Filed July 7. 1967 Fig./ Fig .2 Fig. 3

Carl Richard Lindqulsf INVENTOR.

United States Patent "ice 3,473,710 SEWEVG NEEDLE WITH EYE HAVING ENTRANCE SLOT Carl Richard lLindquist, Brooklyn, N.Y., assignor of fifty percent to Ellen E. Johnsson, Brooklyn, N-Y. Filed July 7, 1967, Ser. No. 651,859 Int. Cl. A41h 31/00 US. Cl. 223-102 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The needle of the instant invention is constructed with an entrance slot opening into the eye opening of the needle whereby persons with bad eyesight or shaky hands may readily thread :a needle by laterally displacing thread through the entrance slot into the eye opening of the needle. The entrance slot is inclined slightly relative to the longitudinal axis of the needle and the outer end of the slot is disposed closer to the pointed end of the needle than the inner end of the slot whereby a person desiring to thread the needle may slide a length of thread along the side of the needle outwardly through which the slot opens from the pointed end of the needle to the eye opening end thereof and the thread being moved along the needle will automatically enter the entrance slot and pass into the eye opening of the needle.

The main object of this invention is to provide a sewing needle which may be readily threaded by persons having shaky hands and/ or poor eyesight.

Another object of this invention is to provide a needle which may be threaded in even semi-darkened areas should it become necessary to carry out :a sewing operation in such a darkened area.

Another object of this invention is to provide a sewing needle in accordance with the preceding objects and which will not have any structural features thereof that will hinder normal sewing operations.

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a sewing needle in accordance with the preceding objects which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble free in operation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a sewing needle constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the eye opening end portion of the sewing needle; and

FIGURE 3 is a further enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the eye opening end portion of the sewing needle.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings the numeral generally designates the sewing needle of 3,473,710 Patented Oct. 21, 1969 the instant invention. The needle 10 includes an elongated body 12 constructed of at least semi-rigid material and which tapers toward one pointed terminal end portion 14. The end of the body 12 remote from the pointed end portion 14 has an eye opening 16 formed transversely therethrough and the opposite end portions of the eye opening 16 are flared as at 18 and 20.

The body 12 includes a transversely extending and laterally opening entrance slot 22 whose inner end opens into the opening 16 and whose outer end opens outwardly of one side 24 of the body 12. The entrance lSlOt 22 is generally straight and inclined approximately 45 relative to the longitudinal axis of the body 12 and includes opposite side wall portions 26 and 28 which are longitudinally bowed so as to be concave.

The inner end of the entrance slot 22 opens into that half of the eye opening 16 adjacent the pointed end portion 14 and the portion 30 of the side 24 is slightly inwardly displaced relative to the portion 32 of the side 24. Accordingly, the outer surfaces of the tongue portion 34 of the body 12 disposed on one side of the entrance slot 22 is free of edge portions thereof which might have a tendency to catch on material through which the needle 10 is being forced. In this manner, the provision of the entrance slot 22 does not impede normal sewing operations.

The concaved side walls 26 and 28 of the slot 22 form a reduced throat at the inner end of the slot 22 to resist movement of thread extending through the eye opening 16 into the inner end of the slot 22 and a similar reduced throat area is formed at the outer end of the slot 22 so as to resist any threads of the material through which the needle 10 is being forced from entering the outer end of the slot 22. Further, the reduced throat at the outer end of the slot also resists movement of any thread which has gained entrance to the inner end of the slot 22 outwardly of the outer end of the slot 22.

When it is desired to thread the needle 10, a length of thread such as that illustrated at 36 in FIGURE 3 is moved along the side 24 from the pointed end of the body 12 toward the outlet end of the slot 22. As the thread 36 reaches the outlet end of the slot 22, the thread 26 will enter the slot and subsequently pass through the latter and into the eye opening 16. Of course, this operation of threading the needle 10 may be readily carried out by persons having bad eyesight or shaky hands and therefore the needle 10 may be of great benefit to persons who normally encounter difficulty in threading needles.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A sewing needle including a narrow elongated body of at least semi-rigid material, said body tapering adjacent one end portion thereof into a pointed terminal end, the other end portion of said body having a laterally extending opening formed therethrough defining an eye portion on said other end of said body adapted to receive a length of sewing thread therethrough, said other end of said body also having a slot formed therein opening into said opening at its inner end and outwardly of said body at its outer end and defining an entrance slot for passing a length of thread therethrough into said opening, said slot being inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of said body with its outer end disposed closer to said pointed terminal end than the inner end of said slot the portion of said body adjacent and defining the outer side surface of said body immediately adjacent the outer end of said slot and on the side of the latter remote from said one end portion of said body being slightly inwardly displaced.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the inner end of said slot opens into the half portion of said opening toward said terminal end.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the surfaces of said body defining the opposite longitudinal side walls of said slot are longitudinally bowed and concave.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the Width of said slot is less than one-half the width of said opening.

5. A sewing needle including a narrow elongated body of at least semi-rigid material, said body tapering adjacent one end portion thereof into a pointed terminal end, the other end portion of said body having a laterally extending opening formed therethrough defining an eye 10 portion on said other end of said body adapted to receive a length of sewing thread therethrough, said other end of said body also having a slot formed therein opening into said opening at its inner end and outwardly of said body at its outer end and defining an entrance slot for passing a length of thread therethrough into said opening, said slot being inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of said body with its outer end disposed closer to said pointed terminal end than the inner end of said slot, the inner end of said slot opening into the half portion of said opening toward said terminal end, the surfaces of said body defining the opposite longitudinal side walls of said slot longitudinally bowed and concave.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,031,016 4/ 1962 Hunter et a1. 223-102 FOREIGN PATENTS 25 8,326 9/ 1926 England.

364,794 11/1938 Italy. 517,912 3/1955 Italy.

STANLEY N. GILREATH, Primary Examiner G. H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner 

